Apraxia is a neurological disorder that is not well understood. Despite having normal muscles, those who have this condition find it extremely difficult or impossible to perform some motor functions. Dyspraxia is the term for less severe kinds of apraxia.

Apraxia can arise in a variety of distinct types. Orofacial apraxia is one variation. Orofacial apraxia prevents some facial muscle movements from being performed spontaneously. They may not even be able to blink or lick their lips, for example. Another variety of apraxia impairs a person's ability to consciously move their arms and legs.

When a person has apraxia of speech, moving their mouth and tongue to speak is difficult or impossible. Even when the person wants to talk and has a mouth and tongue, this still occurs because they are just unable to form words.

Types:

AOS may be classified into two basic categories: acquired and childhood apraxias of speech.

1. Acquired AOS: Although acquired AOS can affect anybody at any age, it usually affects adults. Acquired AOS includes the absence or impairment of current speech abilities and is brought on by injury to the areas of the brain involved in speech. It might be brought on by a stroke, concussion, tumour, or any condition that affects the brain.
2. Childhood AOS: It is often referred to as developing verbal apraxia, articulatory apraxia, or developmental apraxia of speech. Childhood AOS is distinct from developmental problems in speech, where a kid develops their speech along the expected route but more slowly than is normal.

Symptoms:

Although a patient with apraxia has complete use of their body and comprehends directions to move, the predominant sign of the disorder is a failure to perform simple actions.

It may be challenging for people with apraxia to deliberately control or coordinate their movements. These people may also be suffering from aphasia, a language disability that makes it more difficult to comprehend or use words appropriately due to brain injury.

Alarming factors:

Brain injury is the cause of apraxia. Apraxia is referred to as acquired apraxia when it manifests in an individual who was previously able to complete tasks or exhibit talents.

Acquired apraxia is most frequently brought on by:

• Brain tumour
• A condition that causes the nervous system and brain to gradually deteriorate (neurodegenerative illness)
• Dementia
• Stroke
• Harm to the brain from trauma
• Hydrocephalus

Apraxia may be present at birth as well. As the youngster grows and develops, symptoms start to show. There is no known cause.

Speech apraxia frequently coexists with aphasia, another speech impairment. There might be a variety of other brain or nervous system issues present, depending on the underlying etiology of apraxia.

Diagnosis:

Your child's speech and language therapist will study your child's symptoms and medical background, do an assessment of the speech muscles, and look at how your child generates speech sounds, words, and phrases to assess your child's health.

No test or observation can be used to diagnose CAS. The pattern of issues that are seen will determine this. When a child talks little or has trouble connecting with the speech-language pathologist, it can be challenging to diagnose CAS.

Because CAS is handled differently from other speech problems, it's critical to determine whether your child exhibits any CAS signs. Even if the diagnosis is initially unclear, your child's speech and language therapist may be able to decide on an effective treatment plan for your kid.

Testing could involve:

• Hearing evaluations
• Speech analysis
• Oral-motor evaluation

Treatment:

Apraxia that has been acquired occasionally resolves on its own. With infantile apraxia of speech, which does not improve without therapy, this is not the case.

Apraxia is treated using a variety of methods. Depending on the person, they may or may not be effective. Apraxia therapy must be tailored to the demands of a certain person to get the greatest outcomes. Three to five one-on-one sessions per week with a speech-language pathologist are beneficial for most children with apraxia of speech. To put the abilities they are learning into practice, they might also need to consult their parents or legal representatives.

Speech coordination is improved after treatment for childhood apraxia of speech. Many therapists think teaching children who have trouble being understood sign language is helpful. They frequently advise kids to try saying the words they are signing to get practice moving their mouths in the right ways.

Even those with more severe forms of acquired apraxia may find sign language useful. Or they might employ assistive technology, such as computers that can generate words and phrases.

There isn't much research that compares the relative efficacy of different treatment modalities for juvenile apraxia of speech. This may be in part because there is still disagreement among professionals about what signs and traits constitute an accurate diagnosis of apraxia.

Conclusion:

With apraxia of speech, you may understand what you want to say but have problems moving your mouth in the right way to pronounce it. This doesn't happen because your muscles are weak or are atrophying; rather, it occurs because the signal traveling from your brain to your lips is somehow interfered with. There are two varieties of apraxia of speech: acquired and childhood. A speech-language pathologist can identify both and provide appropriate treatment. A doctor should be consulted to determine the root of any speech difficulties you or your child may be experiencing.